Dear Editor:
Recently, I opened The Daily Universe to find an editorial cartoon depicting a frightened child in bed. His mother asked him if it were ghosts, goblins, etc. that frightened him. His response was “No, NFL players.” I personally found this cartoon in extreme poor taste and very badly timed considering the recent (two days prior) death of one of the NFL’s greatest players, Derrick Thomas. He was an extremely talented athlete — one of the best of this generation. But to speak of him as merely an NFL player is to belittle the great humanitarian that he was. He was honored with numerous humanitarian awards. He was the NFL’s Man of the Year in 1993. He started a foundation called Third and Long, the purpose of which is to help children read. Derrick Thomas is what an athlete should be.
The NFL might have a loose cannon or two, but they are the minority. The majority of these athletes live good lives — and that of course does not make headlines or editorial pages. A lot of athletes have started charitable organizations or contribute to charity in other ways. The cartoon was in poor taste and made terrible generalizations about a group of people, a little like John Rocker’s comments.
Martin Harris
Marietta, Ga.
See related story:
Comic: NFL players 02/09/2000
